Fifteen miners are feared dead after a mineshaft collapsed at Redwing Mine which is owned by ZANU PF Member of Parliament (MP) for Mabvuku-Tafara Scott Sakupwanya. The mine is in Penhalonga, Zimbabwe.
The incident occurred in the early morning of Thursday, 4 January 2024. The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) confirmed the event without providing further details. Read the police report:
The ZRP is waiting for full information from Officer Commanding Manicaland Police province on the alleged eleven miners trapped at Redwing Mine, Penhalonga.
The police mentioned that they would provide more information at a later time.
Redwing Mine, managed by Sakupwanya’s company called BetterBrands, resumed its operations in March 2023. The mine had been temporarily closed by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) at the end of January 2023 due to more than 20 fatalities in 13 months.
Elton Makumbe, the mining director of Manicaland province said the decision to authorise the mine to resume operations was made based on the efforts made by the company to improve the situation in the area. The conditions for reopening included focusing on environmental protection, enhancing security against illegal miners, and ensuring the use of proper safety equipment.
Makumbe said it’s important to recognize that implementing these safety and environmental conditions takes time and effort. However, they can work on these aspects while continuing their mining operations and generating revenue. He added that the decision to allow the reopening of the mine considered various factors, including the economic impact on people’s livelihoods and the mine’s contribution to the country’s finances.
However, three civic groups, namely the Centre for Research and Development (CRD), Ziva Community Empowerment Trust, and Penhalonga Youth Development Ratepayers Trust, issued a joint statement claiming that 100 artisanal miners had lost their lives at Sakupwanya’s mine since 2020.